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Japan’s Soft Power Policy in Africa: Comparative Analysis with China
This article conducts a comparative historical analysis of the soft power strategies employed by Japan and China in Africa, emphasizing the utilization of cultural, educational, and economic instruments to augment their international
influence. Moving away from the traditional post-1990s perspective, this paper introduces an enhanced form of the timeline approach in order to examine the development process of their soft power approaches, from the post-war Official Development Assistance (ODA) programs, started in the public sector in the 1950s, and China’s earliest engagement policy in Africa in the 1960s, to their subsequent advancement under the framework of the Tokyo International Conference for African Development (TICAD) and the China-initiated Belt & Road Initiative (BRI).
The analysis shows that Japan relies on a selective, trust-based, and human-resources-oriented model, whereas China employs a larger-scale, more centralized, and economically integrated model of influence.